Abstract
This paper compares the tropospheric moisture data records derived from High-resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) measurements from the years 2003 through 2013. Total Precipitable Water Vapor (TPW) and Upper Tropospheric Precipitable Water Vapor (UTPW) are derived using the infrared spectral bands in the CO2 and H2O absorption bands as well as in the atmospheric windows. Retrieval of TPW and UTPW uses a statistical regression algorithm performed using clear sky radiances (and Brightness Temperatures) measured over land and ocean for both day and night. The TPW and UTPW seasonal cycles of HIRS and MODIS observations are found to be in synchronization with zonal mean values for one degree latitude bands within 2.0 mm and 0.07 mm, respectively.
Highlights
The Total Precipitable Water Vapor (TPW) and Upper Tropospheric Precipitable Water Vapor (UTPW) seasonal cycles of High-resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) observations are found to be in synchronization with zonal mean values for one degree latitude bands within 2.0 mm and 0.07 mm, respectively
When 15% or more of a HIRS field of view (FOV) or a MODIS FOR is determined to be cloud covered, a moisture retrieval is not attempted
Vertical dashed lines indicate the time when the operational satellite changed from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-16 to NOAA-18 in November (HIRS) (b) along with the MODIS minus HIRS difference (c)
Summary
The HIRS and MODIS moisture records retrieve total column precipitable water vapor (TPW) as well as integrated high (UTPW), mid, and low layer tropospheric precipitable water vapor This is accomplished with a statistical regression [17,18,19,20,21] developed from an atmospheric profile database [22] that consists of geographically and seasonally distributed radiosonde, ozonesonde, and ECMWF reanalysis data. TPW determinations in 500 clear sky cases observed with the infrared measurements of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) calculated with the two models agreed within 0.1 mm RMS with a bias of 0.2 mm [29]; these differences are small compared to the HIRS and MODIS.
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